Method of and apparatus for pouring gypsum or like material



March 1, 1932. PAWLING 1,847,261

METHOD OF AND APPARATUS FOR POURING GYPSUM OR LIKE MATERIAL Filed 001;. 5, 1929 umns or girders for example this often'takes a very long time and interferes to'a great explastering and painting 1 respect to each other.

Patented Mar. 1,- 1932 UNITED STATES PATENT'OFFICE- v GEORGE EPAWLING, or PHI ADELPHIA, PENNSYLVANIA, ASSIGNOR, BY Mnsnn Assremunn rs, T SARAH BELLEvU rAwLnvG, or emmsmn, PENNSYLVANIA METHOD or AND Ar'rAnA'rUs r012. roURInq'sxrsUM onrrxn-m'rmm Application filed October 5, 1929. Serial No.- 397,510.

This invention relates to an improved method of pouring gypsum or like material which is adapted to harden and set when mixed with water, as well as to an apparatus by means of which the method out. p M v v The principal objects of the invention are to greatly simplify and expedite the handling of this type of material, as well as to structural characteristics. I

Still'another object ofmy invention is to provide a method of and an apparatus for pouring materials of the character described by mixing with them the least possible quan- :tity ofwater which will accomplish a proper.

setting, which. for example, in the case of gypsum wouldbe just sufficient water to effect a proper crystallization.

In this connection it might be noted that it has heretofore been customary in. placing gypsum to mix'it with .an equal quantity of 1 water which produces a grout containing in the neighborhoodof five times the amount of water necessary for crystallization. It has been necessary in previous practice to use this large quantity of water in order to properly handle the gypsum, for the reason that it sets very quickly and the mixture must be quite thin in order to be properly placed beoperations. I By my improvements I am enabled to overi of the outletopening 6, the serles 9 meeting at fore-settinghas begun. a 7 All of this excess water, of course, has to be dried out, and in fireproofing large coltent with subsequent come the foregoing difliculties and toimprove the character of the finished work.

It is also an object of my invention to provide an extremely simpleapparatus by means of'which my improved method can be carried. 1 out with the assistance of'labor which is can be carried only, ordinarily skilled. lt is also an vobject of the; invention to greatly reduce the amount of labor necessary for a given amount of work. Still another object of theinventionhis to provide amethod of and apparatus for placing gypsum or like material without creating thelarge clouds 10f dust incident to present practices and to mix the material with the water in sucha way as to improve the manner in which it flows into positionin the form and without material; wastage; even where metalformsare used with openings therethrough' such as 'foundin the ordinarymetal laths' commonly used in building construetiOn; i :E r

How-the foregoingobjects, together with such other objects as may appear hereinafter,

or are incident to'my invention, are obtained will be described below in connection with th'elaccoinpanying drawings which illustrate a preferred form of apparatus for carrying out my improved method.

Fig. 1 shows a type of my para tus in position to pour a fireproofing coating of gypsum around acolumn.

7 Fig. 2 is a-plan view of Fig. 1. v

Fig. 3 is a vertical section on an'enlarged scale through the bottom portion of mymixing or pouring funnel, and

Fig. 4 is a bottom plan view of a portion of my improved apparatus.

My improved apparatus consists essentially ofa funnel-like member 5 havinga straight sided outlet or neck portion 6.

Around the periphery at thebottom of the neck portion 6 isfia hollow ring 7 provided with two series of nozzles'or jets ,8 and 9.- By

inspectionof Fig. 4 it will be seen'that-the nozzles 8 and 9 alternate and that the individual nozzles in each series are staggered with The nozzles are inclined toward the axis some point 10 substantially in the center of the descending column of material and a short distance below the bottom of the outlet 6 as shown in Fig. 3 and the seriesS meeting at some point 11 in the center of the column improved ap- 1 existing conditions.

of descending material but substantially below the point '10.

The ring 7 is connected by means of the pipe 12 and hose 13 to any suitable source of water.

The apparatus is shown in Fig. l-as in positionforpouring a fill of fire-proofing material around a column 14, a form of any de-- sired character 15 being shown as surroimdmg the column.

In operation the funnel 5 is filled with gypsum or ot-her;material of, similar; nature, de pending upon the work in hand and the outlet 6 is designed to permit acertain flow of this material which may be suitable for the The material falls in a sort of a column from the mouth of the opening'6. r I

The proper amount of water necessary to "effect complete crystallization of the material "is" introduced through the hose 13 and is 'dischargedfrom thenozzles 8 and 9 sothat as thematerial 16 falls through the opening 6,

" it will be completely surrounded by the sprays of water projected through the nozzles 8 and 9. In' the progress of both the wateriand 'the material toward the form they will be *thoroug-hlymixed a short'distance'below the 'dryform, approximately a gallon andahalf outlet 6, as indicated roughly in Fig. 3, it'beingunderstood, of course, that Fig. 3 is'somewhat diagrammatic in character, since'it is di'flicult' to illustrate just. exactly what takes place'in operation. However, Figy3'is an as approximate representation of the manner in "surrounded bythe water and subsequently 'which the material falls from theoutletG, is

-'mixed' with the the form.

In carrying out the inventionit should be noted that for each cubic-foot of gypsum in water in itsprogress toward of water should be sprayed through the nozzles 8 and 9. This proportion provides approximately just the amount of water which is necessaryfor crystallization of the gypsum,

and by a few simple experimentsthe'aver- 'age operator can so regulateithe flow of water coming in through'the'hose 13'as'to exactly 'meet "the requirements for any 'given size opening 6. In-fact the device is designed so that with the average city water "pressure coming inthrough the'hose13, the amount of y water 'which'will pass out of the nozzles 8 and I 5 9 will'beapproximately that which is necessary-"for the quantity of material 16 which "canpass out'o'f'the opening .6.- :But,"as' stated,

if thewater pressure should vary-considerably. the operator can experiment by timing thequantity which-flows into a given size container in order to get the right amount for the quantity of material adapted to pass .throughthe opening 6 in the. same space of time.

EI'have 'foun'd'in practice that this method "of placing gypsum or like material completely eliminates the creation of clouds of dust and greatly reduces the labor involved in pouring, as well as the time of drying, so that there will be no interference with subsequent plastering and painting operations.

Furthermore, i'gypsum, when poured with the 'resultbe much improved. I

I'have also found in practice that my invention results in a mixture of gypsum and water which'forms into small drops or balls capable of readily flowing to all parts of the form, with the result that the fill of material is uniform throughout. In addition, this characteristic makes it possible to pour gypsum or like material where the forms are of light metal construction with open ings of greater or less size therethrough, such as ordlnarilyfound 1n metal'lath. There is very little wastage or loss of material compared with what takes place in former practice'where a very thin mixture has-been poured.

What I claim is I l. A 'pouring'device of thecharacter described comprisingin combination, a'funnel for receiving the 'dry material, and means for spraylng water into 'the-material'as it discharges from the funnel, said means 1n cluding an annular series of nozzles arranged around the outletso as "to converge their streams in the center; ofv the discharging columnof material a'short'distance below said outlet, and a' second series of nozzlesraround rthe outlet .but arranged :to converge their streams inthe center ofthedischarging colvumn at a point below'sai'd first oint of con vergence.

2. In apparatus for pouring gypsum or 'li'kematerial adapteditoharden and set when mixed with water, the combination of a'funnel having an outlet for discharging a col .umn of dry'material, a series of spraying nozzles surroundingthe outlet arranged-to -convergetheir sprays-at the center of the column, and a second series of spraying nozzles ialternating 'Wlth the first series also adapted to convergetheirsprays at the center of the column but at-a different point.

3. In apparatus for pouring gypsum or like material-adapted to harden and set-when mixed withwater, the combination of a funnel having an outlet for discharging a-col- 'umn of dry material, a se'riesof spraying nozzles surrounding the outlet arranged to 'converge their sprays'at the center of the columnpand a' second-ser-ies of spraying nozzles also adapted to converge their sprays at the centerv of the column but at a difierent point.

4. A pouring device of the character described comprising in combination, a funnel for receiving the dry material, and means 'for spraying Water into the material as it' discharges from the funnel, said means including a series of nozzles arranged around the outlet so as to direct their streams toward the interior of the discharging column of material, and a second series of nozzles arranged to direct their streams toward the center of the discharging column but in a direction different from that of the first series.

5. A pouring device of the character described comprising in combination, a funnel for receiving the dry material, and means for spraying water into the material as it discharges from the funnel, said means including a plurality of nozzles arranged to direct their streams toward the interior of the discharging column of material, certain streams being directed toward the center of the column in a direction different from other streams.

In testimony whereof I have hereunto signed my name.

GEORGE F. PAWLING. 

